Man sentenced to 5 years for storing explosives in his yard

by Cheryl Devall

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A federal court has sentenced a Reseda man to the longest prison term ever handed down in a hazardous materials case.

Firefighters’ response to an explosion in Edward Wyman’s backyard set off this case a couple of years ago. The burning materials included so much ammunition that the first responders had to wear bulletproof vests, the US Attorney’s office said in a statement.

Investigators found thousands of rounds of corroded ammo, lead-contaminated waste from shooting ranges and hundreds of pounds of old gunpowder, among other suspicious stuff. Reportedly, Wyman didn’t have permits to store any of it. In April, a jury convicted him of illegal storage of toxic and explosive hazardous wastes, a felony.

That same panel added that 64-year-old Wyman had knowingly placed others in danger of death or serious injury. A federal judge in Los Angeles sentenced him to five years in prison. US Attorney for LA Andre Birotte said the penalty demonstrates the serious nature of federal environmental crimes.